BIG EAST Hosts Transition Game Program For Women’s Basketball Student-Athletes
New York, N.Y.- The BIG EAST Conference will host its seventh annual Transition Game Program Sept. 17-18 in New York City. Returning to an in-person event, the interactive program aims to assist current women’s basketball student-athletes in the transition from college player to emerging professional, both on and off the court.
BIG EAST schools will send women’s basketball student-athletes who have been selected at the institution’s discretion. More than 30 student-athletes are expected to attend, along with leaders from across the conference’s campus administrations.
“Transition Game has grown into a much-anticipated experience for our women’s basketball student-athletes and an event we are excited to host every year,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “With the return to an in-person weekend for the first time since 2019, our event offers interactive life skills sessions and an impressive lineup of speakers, including BIG EAST graduates and prominent industry experts, whom we hope will help prepare our student-athletes for whatever comes next in their post-college journeys.”
The BIG EAST Transition Game schedule will include panels comprised of former BIG EAST standouts; WNBA and collegiate leaders from the court, the sidelines and in the front office; and respected media personalities. Student-athletes will enjoy interactive sessions on mental health, mock interviews and creating a career path. The program will include a visit to the Museum of the City of New York, which is currently featuring exhibits on activism.
Following opening remarks from Commissioner Ackerman, attendees will hear from Jamila Wideman, Senior Vice President of Player Development for the NBA. Wideman, a former standout at Stanford, played professionally in Israel and Spain and was selected third overall in the 1997 WNBA Draft. Prior to joining the NBA, Wideman worked as an attorney at the Equal Justice Initiative and the Civil Division of The Legal Aid Society, providing representation to incarcerated and low-income populations.
The weekend’s first panel features BIG EAST alumnae, including former Villanova standout and current executive with Paramount Digital Caroline Coyer, Providence graduate Brianna Frias who is the Digital Director for U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, and former Connecticut All-American Morgan Tuck, who is now the Director of Franchise Development for the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
“Careers in the Game” follows, which includes DePaul graduate and lead Brooklyn Nets game analyst for YES and college basketball analyst for FOX Sports Sarah Kustok, St. John’s alum and current Deputy Athletics Director at Incarnate Word DaShena Stevens, a veteran official at both the collegiate and professional levels Stephanie Barksdale and Vice President of Communications and Social Responsibility for the WNBA’s New York Liberty Alesia Howard. Former Penn basketball standout Kim Adams, a veteran broadcaster of the likes of FOX Sports and CBS Sports Network, will serve as moderator for both panels.
Following the panels, the student-athletes will hear from Angie Bennett, Vice President of Sales and Senior instructor for Dardis Communications, Inc. Bennett will host a discussion on communicating with impact. The student-athletes will gain skills and learn tips that will be put into practice Sunday morning, as Michael Sainte, BIG EAST Director of Compliance and Membership Services, will host a session on elevator speeches.
Saturday’s sessions will close out with Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble (aka Dr. Alfiee), a sought-after speaker, media personality, researcher and consultant. Dr. Alfiee is an expert in teen, young adult and family mental health. She appears on and collaborates with major media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC/Peacock, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Breakfast Club nationally syndicated show and dozens of others. Dr. Alfiee is a licensed psychologist and clinical investigator and is recognized nationally as a gifted scientist, public speaker and author. She is the founder of the AAKOMA Project, a thriving Woman of Color led mental health nonprofit.
Following Sunday morning’s elevator speeches, the student-athletes will hear from Villanova graduate Peter Russell. An experienced senior executive in advertising, sales and marketing, Russell has extensive experience in interviewing, hiring, training and mentoring young executives. His session will focus on creating a career path.
